Why Do People Hang Themselves on Trees? An Evaluation of Suicidal Hangings on Trees in Konya, Turkey, between 2001 and 2008

Abstract

Hanging is the most common method of suicide in the world, and many public places offer a means or opportunity to carry out the activity. Of 4,452 death examinations and autopsies, there were 378 (8.5%) suicides and suicide method was hanging in 185 (48.9%) cases. In 20 of these (10.8%), the suspension point was the branch of a tree. The incident location was the garden of the victim's house in nine cases, the woodlands in seven cases. The suicides were attributed to psychiatric disorders in nine cases, economic problems in six cases, and family problems in five cases. It is concluded that hanging on a tree as a suicide method is often committed by males and the underlying motive may be different in suicidal hangings on trees occurring at daytime and night. For preventional purposes, the reporting of such suicides in public places by the media may be restricted by local authorities.

Distinguishing between homicide and suicide knots and ligatures: A comparative analysis of case and survey data

“…A relatively consistent detail observed in this study was the tension of neck ligatures in the cases analyzed, which agrees with the forensic literature [22–70]. Knotted homicide strangulation ligatures were typically tighter than suicide ligatures used for hanging.…”

“…The differences in many specific knot and ligature characteristics are unknown. Further, the knot data reported in the literature are inconsistent, and numerous details have not been examined in case reports and international retrospective studies [1–6,13–20,25–74]. Published knot and ligature data acquired from homicides are not abundant.…”

“…Suicide methods can differ from culture to culture depending on social acceptability, the availability of suitable materials, and the technical means to perform the act [25–47,70–73]. Some suicides are extremely unusual and ostensibly equivocal [1–6,13–20].…”

An analysis of child deaths by suicide in Queensland Australia, 2004-2012. What are we missing from a preventative health services perspective?

“…7 More than three quarters of the child suicides in the current review were by hanging, which is more difficult to control through restriction efforts. 31 …”

The NADPH oxidase NOX2 as a novel biomarker for suicidality: evidence from human post mortem brain samples

“… 1 In modern societies, suicide represents a major public health problem and, in particular, suicide by asphyxia appears to be the most common suicidal modality in European patients. 2 , 3 , 4 Thus, violent asphyxia remains a common cause of death in the practice of forensic pathologists. 5 However, current knowledge on the neurobiological factors associated with suicide risk is still poor.…”